Guard device for railways



S. CLARY.

GUARD DEVICE FOR RAILWAYS. APPLICATION FILED 1m, 11, I920.

Patented Sept. 21,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESS I INVENTOR s CLARY GUARD DEVICE FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED IAN- 17. I920- 1,353,723. Patented Sept. 21, 1920.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- INVENTOR I @tmar STATES PATENT SIMON CLARY, or CARNEGIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

Guam) DEVICE roe RAILWAYS.

Application filed January 17, 1920. Serial No. 352,061.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON CLARY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Carnegie, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in GuardDevices for Railways, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description. 7 I r The present invention relates broadly to safety devices for railways, and more particularly to a guard device adapted to be used in connection with track frogs and switches to insure the proper travel of car wheels thereover. Y Y I The principal object of the present invention isto provide a device adapted to cooperate with certain. of the rails to produce lateral movement of the car wheels traveling thereover to prevent splitting of switch points or thelike.

Another object of the invention is to provide means of the character referred to which may be used on high-speed tracks for producing a gradual lateral movement of the wheels. 7

Still another object of the invention is to provide a guard device of this character arranged to rotate freely under impact with a wheel to thereby eliminateexcessive strain and friction.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a guard device constructed to minimize the possibility of accident to people working on rails or tracks so equipped.

A further object of theinvention is to provide a rotatable device of the nature described which has its upper surface lying substantially in the plane of the tread of the rails. I

A still further object-of the present invention is-to provide a removable rotating element or wheel-engaging'member, thereby permitting substitution or replacement pended claims without departing from the.

spirit of the invention.

Figure 1 a view, largely diagrammatic,

of a track layout having my improved guard device applied I thereto.

. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the device, the wheel-engaging element being shown in elevation.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View between the upper and lower plates, and

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the guard plates. I

The present invention relates particularly to guard devices which may be applied adjacent switch points or frogs to insure a suflicient lateral movement of the car wheels traveling on the rails equipped with the device to prevent splitting of the switch points or frogs. Withtracks as ordinarily constructed there is danger when running toward the points or frogs to split the same, due to the fact that thewheel'sare not in' the proper position for continuing their .travel either on the'through tracks or for switching onto the side tracks. Thi'sdanger of course does not exist in tracks where the movement of the cars thereover is=such as to trailthe switch points,-but it is seldom travel is limited in this respect. 7

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I have illustrated a through track comprising the rails: 2 and a side track comprising the rails 4c, the usual switch points 5 and frog 6 being employed in this layout. For insuring the wheels of acar traveling in the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 1 taking the switch in the proper manner, there is provided adjacent one of the tracks a series of guard devices 7. Each of these devices in its'preferred' embodiment comprises 'a' supporting: member cast or otherwise formed to provide upper and lower plates 9 connected" by a boss lOand reinforcing ribs or flanges 11. The boss 10 stem 12 and rotatably mounted in the depression 15 formed in-the upper plate 9. The lower plate is preferably of such widththat it may have its opposite edges secured to adjacent ties, spike openings 16 being provided for this purpose One end of the basememher also preferably extends under the rail to form a chair therefor, top plate ing cut away, as indicated at 17, to permit the same to be readily passed under the head of the rail. It is desirable that the parts he so proportioned that the upper surface of the wheel engaging element 14 and the top plate 9 lie in the plane of the tread of the rail. The stem 12 may be extended below the lower plate and provided with a suitable fastening means, here illustrated as comprising a nut 18.

lVhere a single guard device of the nature described is employed, it will be so secured in position with respect to the rail that the periphery of the wheel-engaging element 14 will be sufficiently close to the rail to engage the flange of a wheel passing thereover and move the same in a lateral direction. This movement will be sufficient to insure the wheels taking the switch in the proper manner.

For high-speed tracks, however, it is desirable that a series of such devices be employed, and the devices on opposite sides of the central device located at gradually increasing distances from the tread of the rail. With such a construction a wheel flange will be successively engaged by :the devices and gradually moved laterally to -the required position. This arrangement is illustrated particularly in Fig. 1, in which devices for both switch points 0 and the frog 6, the .central device in each instance being located slightly in advance of the point or frog which it protects. The guard devices employed on opposite sides of the center device differ therefrom only in the locationof the boss '10, this boss in such devices being positioned slightly farther from the rail engaging portion of the top plate than in the center device. Due to this arrangement the desired movement of the wheels is insured. It is desirable to have guard devices inmost instances located on opposite sides ofthe center device in order to protect the center device when the wheels are either traveling toward or trailing the Switch point or frog.

\Vherea series of devices are employed, it is also desirable to provide supplementary guard plates, such as illustrated more par.-

ticularly'in Fig. 5, each comprising a main body portion 19 and a downwardly and forwardly extending portion 20 adapted to underlie the head of the rail intermediate adjacent guard devices. The edges .of the main body portion be provided with openings 21 spaced to conform with the openings 22 formed in ,each of the guard devices adjacent the countersunk edges 24; thereof to receive .bolts or other fastening means. The guard plates constitute sub- .stantialcontinuations of the guard devices thereby providing a smooth upper surface. Under the impact of a car wheel,- the wheel engaging elements 14: will be slightly rotated so that strain and excessive friction. are eliminated. With such a construction also the wheel-engaging elements are re movable at will to permit substitution or replacement, as found desirable.

The advantages of the present invention arise from a construction in which both strain and friction are to a large extent eliminated and in which the movement of the wheels laterally is accomplished in successive stages.

I claim:

1. A guard device for rails, comprising a supporting member adapted to coeperate with-a rail, a bearing therein, and a wheelengaging element mounted to rotate in said bearing about a fixed vertical axis, substantially as described.

2. A guard device for rails, comprising a supporting member adapted to cooperate with a rail, a bearing therein, and a wheelengaging element rotatably mounted in said bearing, said element and said member having their upper surfaces lying in substantially the plane of the tread of the rail, substantially as described.

3. A guard device for rails, comprising a supporting member adapted to cooperate with a railand provided with means for securing the same to a tie, a bearing therein, and a horizontally extending wheel-engaging element rotatably mounted about a vertical axis in said bearing, substantially as described. I

4:. A guard device for rails, comprising a supporting member adapted to cooperate with a rail, a bearing therein, and a wheelengaging element rotatablymounted in said bearing, said element comprising astem having an enlarged wheel-engaging head, substantially as described.

5. A guard device for rails, comprising a supporting member formed with upper and lower plates, said upper plate having a depression therein, a bearing in said member, and a wheel-engaging element in said bearing and rotatable in said depression, substantially as described.

6. A guard device for rails, comprising a supporting member adapted to cooperate with a rail, said member having a depression formed in its upper surface,'a wheeL engaging element rotatably mounted in said depression, the upper surface of said ele ment lying substantially flush with the upper surface of said member, and means for holding said element in position therein, substantially as described.

7. A guard device, comprising a wheelengaging element secured adjacent a rail tread for rotation about a fixed vertical axis, and a similar element located at one side thereof and cooperating therewith, sub- :stant'ially as described. I

8. A guard device, comprising a wheelengaging element secured adjacent a rail tread for rotation about a fixed vertical axis, and a similar element located on opposite sides thereof and cooperating therewith, sub stantially as described.

9. A guard device, comprising a wheelengaging element secured adjacent a rail tread, and a similar element located at one side thereof and cooperating therewith, said second element being spaced a greater distance from the rail tread than the first ele ment, substantially as described.

10. A guard device, comprising a center wheel-engaging element secured adjacent a rail tread, and similar elements located on opposite sides thereof, said second elements SIMON CLARY.

being spaced a greater distance from the y 

